English readers (and sponsors)may be interested to know about recent seminars provided by BDTI, and those that are in the works. Briefly:
Month: April 2012
Grants of Overseas Parent Company Stock – A Sweet and Sour Perk
This nice piece by Nishimura & Asahi discusses the nuances of issuing stock options to employees based in Japan.
English Language “Director Boot Camp” Training Program (CLOSED – will offer again in June- please contact us)
BDTI will offer its English-language director training program on Saturday, May 12. The purpose of the program will be to familiarize attendees with basic knowledge that they need to know in order to responsibly serve on, or report to, boards of Japanese companies. The course will consist of short lectures interspersed with ample time for interactive discussion and questions-and-answers about real-life situations that occur on boards in Japan, and how to handle them.
Please see more details – and apply!
“Effective Boards” – Three Short Video Interviews of Experienced Directors
Three concise and to-the-point, highly useful short videos produced by the Silicon Valley Chapter of the NACD. You can feel Silcon Valley vigor and pragmatism here.
Effective Boards (Part 1): Board Composition
Effective Boards (Part 2): Relationship with the CEO
Effective Boards (Part 3): Getting the Facts
Board Evaluations: Rigorous Process or Kabuki Theatre? (Video)
In recent years, virtually all boards acknowledge that an annual board evaluation is required by “best practices.” How that evaluation should be done, by the board members themselves or by outside “experts” still remains an open matter. And whether these evaluations, either internal or external, are in most cases useful in improving board performance or in “weeding out” nonproductive directors, is also a matter open to debate. Which evaluation practices offer the best chance of improving board performance?
Video: Silicon Valley NACD Series on “What Makes an Effective Board”
Great series of videos in which Richard Levy, chairman of Varian Medical Systems, talks about what makes an effective board with Jim Balassone, executive-in-residence at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.
Glass Lewis Announces the Launch of its New Issuer Engagement Portal
[ Press Release ] San Francisco, Calif. (April 12, 2012) – Glass, Lewis & Co., the leading independent governance services firm, today announced the release of its new, free Issuer Engagement Portal, which will enhance communication and understanding among issuers, investors and Glass Lewis.
Disclosure Issues in Acquisitions of U.S. Public Companies
From Shearman & Sterling, we have received the followingdetailedmemo about disclosure issues arising from M&A transactions in the U.S.:
Steven Towns of Active Investing Submits Public Comment to TSE Regarding its Proposed Listing Rules
[ BDTI is seeking to collect any and all public comments recently submitted to TSE per is public comment process. We have recently received this one from Steven Towns of Active Investing. Please feel free to send your comment to BDTI at info@bdti.or.jp. ]
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2012 12:36 PM
To: jojo-kikaku@tse.or.jp
Cc: steven.towns
Subject: Public Comment (Restoring confidence in the securities mkt)
Dear Tokyo Stock Exchange Listing Department:
Global ProxyWatch on Michael Woodford’s Speech to the CII, Mentioning the Need for Rules Requiring Director Training in Japan
GlobalProxyWatch's recent Newsletter summarized Michael Woodford'sriveting speech at the spring meeting of the Council of Institutional Investors, including his advice to the TSE to promulgate rules requiring issuers to provide executive directors with comprehensive training “to better acquaint them with their legal duties and liabilities.”
Below is an excerpt. You can sign up for Global ProxyWatch's popular Newsletter here: http://www.proxywatch.com/